Independent Propeller Awards

Indie video game developer awards to be dished out at SXSW.

News by GamesIndustry International Contributor

Published on March 4, 2011

Cincinnati, Ohio – March 4, 2011 – Online independent gaming community indiePub, sponsored by video game publisher Zoo Entertainment, Inc . (NASDAQ: ZOOG), and South by Southwest (SXSW) today announced the finalists of the first ever video game development competition, the Independent Propeller Awards, to be held during SXSW ScreenBurn, the gaming portion of the SXSW Interactive Festival.

Seven finalists were chosen among 150 submissions, representing a diverse lineup of games that range from the puzzle, strategy and adventure genres. Hosted by Adam “Atomic” Saltsman, of indie hit Canabalt, and Meredith Molinari, host of PlayStation Network’s The Tester, the Independent Propeller Awards will offer $150,000 in total cash prizes, awards recognizing innovation and development from the Intel AppUp ^SM developer program and Unity Technologies, and the chance for titles to be published by indiePub through its sponsor, Zoo Publishing. Below are the skilled finalists that have been selected to show off their games at SXSW:

Finalists of Independent Propeller Awards Including Their Submissions:

The Uncanny Fish Hunt (Uncanny Games) – An adventure game where players take on the role of Siméon, to fight an unleashed ocean. Skinny (Thomas Brush) – An exploration and adventure game where players help Skinny, a skinny freak, save the apocalyptic world from their minds. Chewy (Happy Candy Co.) – A 2D platformer in which players control Chewy, a sticky piece of gum. CREO (Peter Angstadt) - A physics puzzle game in which players must create and experiment to succeed by helping Creo and his friends home from school each day. Deep Sea (Robin Arnott) - An audio-only game, where players lose their vision and hearing and are plunged into a world of blackness occupied only by the sound of their own breathing and the rumbles made by unseen terrors. Tiny and Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers (Black Pants Game Studio) – A story of a thief who had stolen our hero's most valued possession - a pair of underpants. GLiD (Glid) - A single player ambient exploration game where a small robot is tasked with exploring and restoring an abandoned world.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide this group of talented indie game developers the opportunity to exhibit and compete through our SXSW Interactive partnership,” said Mark Seremet, CEO of Zoo Entertainment. “Indie gaming has evolved and grown into its own thriving, vibrant community, and we are dedicated to fostering these artists by offering them the resources they need to create and share their original games.”

“At SXSW, our focus is on emerging technology and groundbreaking new ideas, so it was only appropriate to partner with indiePub and add this new component to SXSW Interactive,” said Justin Burnham, Account Executive, SXSW ScreenBurn. “We are proud to acknowledge this group of accomplished developers and are looking forward to premiering the Independent Propeller Awards later this month.”

Submissions for the Independent Propeller Awards were open from December 2010 through mid-February 2011. Finalists will be provided with flights and accommodations to attend SXSW in Austin, TX to demo their games during the show. The grand-prize winner will be revealed during the Independent Propeller Awards ceremony on March 13, 2011 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CST at the Day Stage in the Austin Convention Center during SXSW ScreenBurn at SXSW Interactive. Anyone with a SXSW Interactive, Gold or Platinum badge is welcome to attend the awards.

About SXSW ScreenBurn, March 11-15, 2011

ScreenBurn features 5 days of panels programming and evening events (March 11-15, 2011), and 3 days of the video game Arcade (March 11-13, 2011). You must have a SXSW Interactive, Gold or Platinum badge to attend the ScreenBurn Independent Propeller Awards presented by IndiePub Games, ScreenBurn panel programming and evening events. A SXSW badge is not required to attend the SXSW ScreenBurn Arcade or the ScreenBurn Game Developer's Meet Up.

2011 SXSW ScreenBurn is sponsored by MARVELL, and in part by 101X, The Austin Chronicle, and SXSW Interactive.

Visit sxswscreenburn.com for more details.

About SXSW Interactive

The 18th annual SXSW Interactive festival will take place March 11-15, 2011 in Austin, Texas. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies, the event features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of technology. Join us March 2011 for the panels, the parties, the 14th Annual Interactive Awards, ScreenBurn at SXSW, the SXSW Expo, Accelerator at SXSW and, of course, the inspirational experience that only SXSW can deliver. SXSW Interactive 2011 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Chevrolet, AOL, IFC, Pepsi, PepsiMax, freecreditscore.com and The Austin Chronicle.

For more information, visit www.sxsw.com.

About Zoo Entertainment

Zoo Entertainment is a developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software targeted to family-oriented mass-market consumers. With a strong network of leading national mass-market retailers, its casual and value-focused titles span categories including sports, family, racing, game show, strategy, action-adventure, and more. Zoo Entertainment software is developed for all major consoles, handheld gaming devices, PCs, and mobile devices as well online and download game services.

Zoo’s innovative content creation site, indiePub ( http://www.indiepub.com), was designed to capitalize on opportunities in the emerging and high growth digital entertainment space. The site fosters the independent gaming community by playing host to independent game developers and players and providing developers with the resources they need to collaborate and create great games. A destination site for gaming enthusiasts and consumers, indiePub takes an active role in helping independent developers create innovative entertainment software.

For more information, visit www.zoogamesinc.com.

About Unity Technologies

Unity Technologies is revolutionizing the game industry with Unity, its award-winning breakthrough development platform. Unity Technologies has more than 350,000 registered users worldwide -- including Bigpoint, Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola, Disney, Electronic Arts, LEGO, Microsoft, NASA, Ubisoft, Warner Bros., large and small studios, indies, students and hobbyists -- all using Unity to create games and interactive 3D, like training simulations and medical and architectural visualizations, on the web, mobile, consoles and beyond. Unity Technologies is aggressively innovating to expand usability, power and platform reach along with its Asset Store digital content marketplace and Union game aggregator so that it can deliver on its vision of democratizing interactive 3D technology. Unity Technologies is headquartered in San Francisco and has development offices worldwide. For more information, visit: http://unity3d.com.

About the Intel AppUp Developer Program

The Intel AppUp developer program provides developers with everything they need to easily develop and sell applications via the Intel AppUp ^SM Center and affiliate app stores. The initial focus of the program is netbooks and tablets, soon expanding to include smartphones, consumer electronics, and other devices. The program supports C/C++, Adobe AIR, Java, Microsoft .NET, and Meego apps. The developer program provides easy to use SDKs, easy deployment and validation along with a vibrant community. In addition, the program provides developers with numerous monetization opportunities through the AppUp center, affiliate app stores, in-application advertising, and much more. For more information, visit: http://appdeveloper.intel.com

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Media Contacts

Rachel Belinky

Zoo Games

513-824-8297

pr@zoogamesinc.com

Erica Ramirez

Bender/Helper Impact

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erica_ramirez@bhimpact.com

Kelly Krause

SXSW Interactive Press & Publicity